Thursday, April 17, 2008

Lemon Thyme Dinner Crepes

You'll have to excuse the picture here because it looks like the crepe is barfing out some spinach. These are very tasty and well worth the time it takes to make them. I have spent the last few days grading many, many essays, which always makes me cranky, so cooking has been my therapy. With my in-laws here to help with the kids I can spend a little more time in the kitchen. The crepes are a variation on Bryanna's recipe. They are perfect for this recipe, but they will not replace my sweet crepes for dessert or breakfast. This recipe makes 16 crepes, so do a half recipe if you don't have guests to feed.

INGREDIENTS

Crepes (Makes 16)

- 3 cups plain soymilk

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 2 cups unbleached flour

- 1 cup firm tofu

- 1/3 cup water

- 1/2 cup chickpea flour

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Or, place all ingredients in a juice pitcher and blend with a hand mixer until very smooth. This way, you can easily pour out the batter into the pan when cooking the crepes. Add more water if the batter is too thick.

2. Heat an 8" non-stick crepe pan on medium heat. Lightly oil. Pour a 4 inch (or so) circle (about 1/3 cup) of batter on the pan, tilting and rotating quickly to spread the batter thinly into a circle. Cook until top is dry, carefully flip, then cook another 30-40 seconds. Repeat. If batter thickens as it sits, just stir in a little more water.

Filling

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 stalk lemon grass, finely minced

- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped

- 3 cups seitan, cubed

- 1/4 cup lemon juice

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1/4 cup soy creamer

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 2 tbsp water

- salt and white pepper to taste

- 3 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach

METHOD

1. Heat frying pan over med heat. Add oil, then saute lemongrass and onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to release their water.

2. Add in seitan, lemon juice, and thyme. Mix well, and let lemon juice absorb into the seitan. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add in creamer and mix. Mix cornstarch into water, then add to pan. Let sauce thicken. Remove from stove and let cool a bit.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 x 13 baking dishes.

5. Place a 2-3 spoonfuls of filling on a crepe and roll. You don't want to overfill them. Place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining crepes.

6. Spread a thin layer of margarine over the tops of crepes. Bake for 15-20 mins, until tops are slightly golden. Remove and serve.